An abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
Xu Maorong was pushed out of a van by two young thugs and shoved into the warehouse.
Da Jun followed behind them expressionlessly. The warehouse was dimly lit, but thirty or forty people stood there, all covered in tattoos and with fierce expressions.
The two thugs shoved Xu Maorong violently to the ground, and Da Jun walked to a chair in the middle and sat down imposingly. Xu Maorong was nearly scared to death by the sight. He scrambled to Dajun's side, his face contorted with fear, and asked, "Brother Jun, what...what happened? Have I offended you in any way?"
By this time, Xu Maorong had sobered up. Dajun's fearsome reputation was widespread, especially among the long-time residents of Huxi Road, who trembled at his fear. Xu Maorong had lived on Huxi Road for decades and had witnessed firsthand Dajun's rise from a petty thug to a powerful gang leader.
"Pah! If you had offended me, I would have killed you right there in the street. Why did I bring you here to waste time talking?" Dajun spat a thick wad of phlegm at Xu Maorong, speaking disdainfully.
Xu Maorong trembled violently. Da Jun glanced at him disdainfully and said mockingly,
"Looks like you don't know where you went wrong!"
Xu Maorong hurriedly said,
"Brother Jun! Brother Jun! I really don't know what I did wrong. Brother Jun, please tell me, I'll correct it right away!"
"Xiao Gang, A Fei, you two help Section Chief Xu think back carefully, let him wake up!"
"Yes! Brother Jun!" The two young thugs beside him immediately replied.
Xiao Gang and A Fei wore cruel smiles, clenching their fists as they walked step by step towards Xu Maorong. The cracking sound of their knuckles made Xu Maorong even more terrified.
"Brother Jun, spare me..." Xu Maorong's plea was cut short as A Fei shoved a greasy, smelly cloth into his mouth. Xiao Gang kicked Xu Maorong to the ground, and then the two of them unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks. Xu Maorong felt the rain of blows, waves of pain washing over him. He tried to scream but couldn't make a sound, desperately trying to protect his head, curling into a ball and enduring the blows.
"Alright!" Da Jun called out leisurely, slowly walking over to Xu Maorong. He stepped on his chest, pulled the rag out of his mouth, and asked with a smile, "Old Xu, remember now?"
Xu Maorong, bruised and battered, gasped for breath and pitifully said,
"Brother Jun, I really can't remember what I did wrong. Please tell me!"
"Hmph!" Da Jun increased the pressure on his foot, and Xu Maorong felt as if his sternum was about to break, letting out a painful groan.
"Kid, you've messed with the wrong person..." Da Jun said fiercely.
"The wrong person?" Xu Maorong was even more confused, not connecting the dots at all with Guo Li's situation.
Just then, the sound of brakes came from outside the warehouse. A moment later, two burly men in black shirts and sunglasses, with cold expressions, entered the warehouse.
Upon seeing the two men, Da Jun immediately released Xu Maorong and rushed forward to greet them, a respectful smile on his face, saying, "Brother Cheng, Brother Wu, you're here!"
The men were Ning Qiaoqian's two bodyguards, A Cheng and A Wu. To Ning Qiaoqian, they were just bodyguards, but to thugs of Da Jun's caliber, they were undisputed bosses. Acheng nodded slightly and asked,
"Have you brought the man?"
Dajun quickly turned around and pointed to Xu Maorong, who was lying on the ground groaning, and said with a smile,
"He's over there! Brother Cheng, this kid doesn't learn his lesson, so I had someone teach him a lesson first..."
Acheng glanced at Xu Maorong noncommittally and walked straight to the chair in the middle of the warehouse. At this moment, a quick-thinking thug had already brought another chair and placed it next to him. After Acheng and Awu sat down, Dajun and the others stood respectfully to their sides, not daring to breathe loudly.
Dajun, however, felt a little smug. This trusted subordinate of Master Ning of the Qiankun Group probably wouldn't even give him a second glance normally, but this time, by chance, he had asked him for a favor. If he could establish a relationship with them in the future, his status in the underworld would definitely rise significantly. Xu Maorong's mind went blank. In his eyes, Dajun was already a ferocious figure, but these two burly men had suddenly transformed him into a docile kitten. Did that mean these two were the biggest bosses among bosses?
Xu Maorong knew without a doubt that the two black-clad men, now fawning over him, were the ones who had brought him to this dilapidated warehouse.
But Xu Maorong couldn't figure out how he had offended such powerful figures. His anxiety grew. He had heard many tales of powerful figures in the underworld; these kinds of people were ruthless killers, and drowning him in the Minjiang River would be no different than killing a dog.
Thinking of this, Xu Maorong couldn't help but tremble, a profound fear gripping his heart.
At this moment, A-Cheng's cold gaze fell upon Xu Maorong, and he asked indifferently:
"You're Xu Maorong, Section Chief Xu?"
Xu Maorong hurriedly crawled to A-Cheng's side, nodding and saying:
"Brother, I am Xu Maorong. Please tell me, and I will apologize sincerely and never dare to do it again..."
Xu Maorong was already terrified.
A-Cheng nodded slightly and asked:
"Do you know Guo Li?"
Guo Li? Xu Maorong instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He never imagined that this fierce-looking big shot was actually standing up for Guo Li.
Having worked together in the demolition office for several years, Xu Maorong knew Guo Li quite well. His background in officialdom wasn't very strong, let alone any connections in the underworld. But Xu Maorong didn't dare hesitate and quickly said,
"I know him! I know him, he's our director..."
Acheng was wearing sunglasses the whole time, and Xu Maorong felt as if he were being watched the whole time, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Acheng said calmly,
"I heard you wrote a formal complaint letter a while ago..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Maorong knelt down, his voice trembling with tears, and said,
"Brother! I was wrong! I really didn't know Director Guo was your friend! Otherwise, even if I had a million lives, I wouldn't have dared to report him..."
The power struggles in officialdom were manageable, but when it came to someone like Dajun, a figure from the underworld, Xu Maorong didn't even have the slightest will to resist. This is what they mean by "the wicked need the wicked to grind them down!" Acheng, still expressionless, asked:
"So, do you know what to do?"
"Yes! Yes!" Xu Maorong nodded repeatedly, hurriedly saying, "I'll go back and tell the organization that I framed Director Guo because of personal grudges..."
Acheng's lips curled slightly, and he said:
"That's unnecessary. When we need you out, someone will notify you. Just push everything onto Fan Changtian, understand?"
"Understood! Understood!" Xu Maorong thought about it a little more deeply and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
Acheng and Awu, who hadn't said a word the whole time, exchanged a glance and stood up. Acheng took off his sunglasses and held them in his hand, then squatted down in front of Xu Maorong. His eyes, gleaming with a predatory light, stared intently at Xu Maorong as he slowly said,
"I believe you're a smart man, you wouldn't play two-faced tricks. Your son is the class monitor of Class 1, Grade 3 at the Second Experimental Primary School in Zhonglou District, a very outstanding student. None of us want anything to happen to him, right?"
Xu Maorong shuddered upon hearing Acheng's words. He knew these two men had already thoroughly investigated him. Completely abandoning any hope of escape, he said palely, "Brother, I understand. Don't worry, I'll do whatever you say…"
Acheng smiled contentedly, but his smile appeared somewhat sinister in Xu Maorong's eyes. Acheng stood up, patted Dajun on the shoulder, and said kindly,
"Junzi, you've worked hard today! Take Section Chief Xu home!"
After saying that, Acheng and Awu walked side by side towards the warehouse door.
"Brother Cheng, Brother Wu, take care!" Dajun's smile was very enthusiastic. Being patted on the shoulder by Brother Cheng made Dajun feel as if his bones had lightened a few pounds, and he stood up straighter in front of his underlings.
…
At ten o'clock at night, Guan Weiping, the secretary of Provincial Party Secretary Fang Hongda, had just returned home after finishing a day's work. Guan Weiping took the slippers and change of clothes brought by his wife Liu Ying and was about to take a shower when his cell phone rang again in his briefcase.
Guan Weiping smiled wryly and put down the clothes. Ever since Guan Weiping became Secretary Fang's secretary, this had been his work routine, and Liu Ying had gotten used to it. She walked briskly to the sofa, took her cell phone from her briefcase, and handed it to Guan Weiping.
Guan Weiping took the phone and saw it was an unfamiliar Beijing landline number. His brow furrowed imperceptibly, and he quickly answered the phone:
"Hello!"
"Hello, are you Comrade Guan Weiping?" The voice on the other end of the line was somewhat young, but carried a serious tone.
"This is Guan Weiping. May I ask who you are…?"
"Hello, Director Guan. This is Zou Jian from the Seventh Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The leaders of the Discipline Inspection Commission asked me to inform you that our Director Han Ming from the Seventh Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office will be going to Southeast Province on official business tomorrow. Please report this to Secretary Fang Hongda separately. Because this trip has a certain degree of confidentiality, please be careful to control the scope of those who know about it." Zou Jian's words were methodical and completely businesslike.
Guan Weiping couldn't help but shudder upon hearing this. He knew perfectly well what the Seventh Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office did. Han Ming's arrival was so urgent and secretive, directly notifying the Provincial Party Secretary through his secretary, bypassing even the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission. Was there some major case at play?
Guan Weiping felt a slight unease, but quickly replied politely,
"Okay, Comrade Zou Jian, I'll report to Secretary Fang immediately. May I ask which flight Director Han will be taking tomorrow? Regarding the reception..."
Zou Jian interrupted Guan Weiping, saying directly,
"Director Guan, I'll send you Director Han's flight number and accompanying personnel list via text message later. You don't need to worry about the reception. Director Han will report to Secretary Fang separately after arriving in Rongcheng, and then we will proceed independently."